NEW ORLEANS (AP) ó Even as scientists scramble to prevent Asian carp from
moving into the Great Lakes, some worry the spring flooding along the
Mississippi River may be spreading the invasive species into many formerly
carp-free bodies of water.

Duane Chapman, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist and Asian carp expert,
says the fish may show up in lakes, ponds and bayous that took the riverís
floodwaters. They may not be able to breed in many locations, but the fish
have a life expectancy of 25 years and so could be crowding out food sources
of native species for decades.

Asian carp were brought to the United States in the early 1970s to control
algae in catfish farms in the South. Floods washed them into the Mississippi
River in the 1980s.